(HOWARD CO.) - A man was killed Saturday evening in an apparent accidental shooting while he was hunting, police said.

Howard County sheriff's deputies were called to the 11300 block of West 100 South, west of Kokomo, just before 6:30 p.m. after dispatchers received a 911 call about the shooting.

Witnesses told police the victim, Joseph Steele, 28, had been hunting with family members in a wooded area just south of his home.

"Witnesses stated they had split up and at some point had lost sight of the victim. One of the hunters fired at a distance at what he perceived to be a squirrel. Moments later, the victim yelled out that he'd been shot," Howard County sheriff's Capt. Greg Hargrove said in a news release.

Steele was shot in the chest, but he was able to talk with witnesses before he lost consciousness. Witnesses treated him at the scene and waited for paramedics to arrive.

"Family members and witnesses are cooperating with investigators as they piece together the events leading up to this tragic shooting," Hargrove said.